Impact of Oral Health Conditions on the Quality of Life of Adolescents

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate oral conditions' impact on school adolescents' quality of life. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, school-based, descriptive, and analytical study. The study's final sample comprised 1,010 adolescents aged between 14 and 19. The dependent variable of oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) was measured using the OHIP-14 questionnaire. The independent variables were oral conditions assessed through clinical examination and a questionnaire for the socioeconomic indicators. Descriptive analyses, chi-square, and binary logistic regression were performed, and the significance level adopted was 5%. Results: The impact of oral conditions on OHRQoL was reported by approximately 34% of adolescents. The prevalence of dental caries was 26.2%, periodontal disease 45.8%, dental trauma 38%, and malocclusion was 29.7%. Of the variables analyzed, only sex (p<0.001) and caries experience (p=0.012) were associated with OHRQoL, showing that females are 1.87 times more likely to affect their quality of life than males, and those with caries were 1.46 times more likely to have an impact on the OHRQoL. Conclusion: The sex and experience of caries might be associated with decreasing the quality of life.

Keywords

• Epidemiology
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Oral Health